My Life as a Conservative in Liberal Land

I am an artist, it is some what strange then, that I consider myself conservative. Here’s the thing though, I am against the government regulating a woman’s right to choose, I don’t like Fox News and I’m not offended by The Daily Show. I’m a feminist and I believe there’s a lot of work we still have to do before we actually see equal rights for not just gender but race in our society. I think the government should make up it’s mind as to whether marriage is a religious institution that it should keep it’s nose out of or a governmental one that it should keep religion out of.

Here’s the other thing. How I think these things should be accomplished and how a liberal thinks these things should be accomplished are not always the same. I feel that just because I don’t embrace the liberal political philosophy it doesn’t make me close minded. I don’t fly into a blind rage every time a woman gets an abortion. Yes, I don’t agree with her choice but I do think it’s her choice to make.

I’m surrounded by people who think that’s what I do because I’m a conservative. It is often addressed by blogs, talk shows and any other form of media where the news and politics is discussed the fact that the Fox News network is harmful to liberal philosophies and people because they take such an antagonistic stance toward anyone who does not wholeheartedly agree with them. Fox News has sort have become the conservative straw-man in any political argument and paints a grotesque caricature of people who ascribe to conservative political philosophy.

Politics is not my favorite topic of discussion with friends, family and the Internet at large. In my opinion, that is what I pay politicians for (with my tax money, I don’t actually have any politicians in my pocket…yet). Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep abreast of what’s going on. So yes, my liberal friends, I read your blogs, watch your news shows, listen to your broadcasts and manage to not act like a raging lunatic just because someone doesn’t agree with me. I would really really appreciate it if you would stop telling me to go away if I don’t like what you’re saying. I usually don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it.

Because really, if you don’t respect someone else’s opinion, how can you expect them to respect yours?